Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1887-04-19
TIMES HAVE CHANGED.
Effect of the Interstate Law on
Newspapers.
The old Time Puff Suppressed--H0w
Grasping MonOpOIies are to be Han
died Hereafter by the Press.


scenes and the events are of course pure
ly imaginary, but they are supposed to
picture what may happen unless the
diplomats find some relief for the present
strained relations.
The railroad reporter had Just come in
and laid upon the city editors desk the
result of his days work. The city editor
asked the railroad reporter to be seated,
and, taking the manuscript page by page
commented on the copy as follows:
Jones, see you speak of o. W. Rug
giles, Esq, as being the amiable and &C
complished general passenger agent of
the Michigan Central railroad, aud say
that he has just issued another of his
elegant brochures for summer tourists
Did | ask you to run around town look
ing for brochures, when l hired you to do
the railroad work for this paper? Are
you paid for calling the attention of the
public TO the fact that Mr. o. W. Ruggles
is amiable and accomplisheds guess not
Not if understand the policy of this
paper. Had you kept posted in your
business and observed the workings of
the interstate commerce bill you would
have written this item thus:
%. w. Ruggle,s who calls himself the
general passenger and ticket agent of the
MlchigauCentral railroad (although that
road hasn't had any passengers and hasn't
sold any tickets since April y, has Just
issued another of his screeds about sum-
mer travel. The road will need the
| money which Rnggles is spending Sc
| recklessly and foolishly to assist in meet
ing its per cent dividends next mon ID
Our advice to Ruggles is to let literature
alone and look after the wheezy locomo.
tives on his passenger trains before they
break down with chronic asthma
DO you catch onT"
Yes, but Mr.. Ruggles is one of the
most genial"
There you go l discharged your
predecessor yesterday for using the word
genial IN speaking of general passen-
ger agent. Now look here, what is this
You say: Mr.. James Chsrleton, the vet
eran general passenger agent of the Chi
cago & Alton railroad. has Just select,
ed a new Autograph as an advertisement
| for his line (by all odds the shortest tc
| St, Louis, Kansas City or DENVER which
will excel in msgnificence anything o.
the kind heretofore attempted on THU
hemisphere. Where did YOU get all thi,
Information and how much did it cos
your Look here, if you understand
your business this is the way YOU would
write an item of that kind:
One James CharletOn, who claims TO h
connected with the passenger department,
of bobtail fiy>by night railroad com,
pany doing a small business between this
city, St. Louis, Kansas City, and other
western towns, threatens to flood the
country with lot Of cheap chromos as
an advertisement for himself and the
company he processes to represent. We
have reason to believe that these pictures
| are job lot, purchased at a recent auc-
ton sale of defunct ,nting Office in
Buffalo. They were originally intended
to be used as posters for dime museum
1t is an outrage upon public taste and
public morals that Cbarleton and men
of his stamp should be permitted to
scatter these back numbered show bills
over the country The road which be
pretends to represent is hidden BY prairie
grass and weeds five miles from town.
and passengers who are gulled into trav
cling over it mus be prepared to make
nine tenths of their trip by stage. The
five mile washout which occurred on the
road laGt hol
paired, and the caboo as which il uses
for passenger cas- have not been swept
out since they were borro wed from the
Car Trust ton5anv. What Charleton' s
alleged road needs is not Autographs bui
axes and spike drivers
do you see the idea?'
81 see what you mean; but the Chicago
roads in"
There yod 90 again. Another OF voul
predecessors was discharged for using the
word reliable in connection with the
railroads centering in Chicago What
do see here? We are informed by Mr.
Paul Morton, the able and efficient gen
eral passenger agent of the Chicago
Burlington & Quincy railroad, that q
new lightning express train between
Chicago and Omaha will be put on this
road next Monday. 1t will reduce the
time about three hours. and will IN,
doubleday capture nine>tenths of the
passenger traffic between the two cities.
Now, that's a daisy Morton must have
thought you beautiful mark when he
stuffed you with that. Now If you are
going to remain on this paper you must
remember it isn't edited by Mr.. Paul
Morton. nor managed by the Chicago,
Burlington & Quincy. l shall have to
rewrite that item in this style:
The cheerful intelligence has just
reached us that the Chicago, Burlington
Il Quincy railroad is at length going to
put on a train between Chicago and
Omaha. which will reach its destinatio n
in less than six months after its depart
ure. This will prove to be great con
venlence to the few persons who still
risk their lives by patroniztng this road
rs they will no longer be compelled to
carry canned provisions with them, and
may leave here as late as July without
running any risk of being snow bound
before reaching Omaha. Still the march
of improvement goes on. We shall next
hear that the Chicago. Burlington &
Quincy has decided to run tri-weekly
suburban trains for the benefit of The
Norwegian settlers along its line
There, said the city editor, Il think
that will suit Mr.. Marion. | hone il will
also suit Judge Cooley When you can
write railroad item in that style will
have some cards printed for YOU
Salvation sbouters.
The Iowa department of the Salvation
Army has decided that Davenport needs
attention, and the Olympic theatre has